An effective way of controlling excess water accumulation in a food package that has a high barrier to water vapour is to use a moisture absorber (Ozdemir & Floros, 2004). The most common moisture absorbing systems consist of a super absorbent polymer located between two layers of a microporous or nonwoven polymer. This material is supplied as sheets of various sizes that are used as drip-absorbing pads typically found in tray-formatted (overwrap and modi fi ed atmosphere) fresh muscle food products